UWC delivers nitric acid wagons

UNITED Wagon Company (UWC), Russia, has begun delivery of an order for 30 nitric acid tank wagons for Uralchem, one of Russia’s largest producers of mineral fertilisers.

The 1520mm-gauge type 15-6901 bogie wagon has a tank volume of 54.78m2 and an axleload of 25 tonnes.

UWC says it acted as an integrator in the research and development process for the new design, which involved several companies from different sectors.

The wagon was developed by All Union Research and Development Centre for Transport Technology and built by TikhvinChemMash, both subsidiaries of UWC. Arconik SMZ supplied corrosion-resistant aluminium plates while Sespel was responsible for tank welding. The order was financed by Alfa Leasing.

UWC says the wagon has a design life of 40 years, compared with 20 years for the current generation of concentrated nitric acid tanks.

Around 200 wagons are currently in service for concentrated nitric acid transport in Russia, but 80% of these vehicles will reach life-expiry by 2022.